Chocolate Stout Pie

What was it that John said about not basing too many posts off of Thisiswhyyourefat? Well: this totally started as a This Is Why You’re Fat post about Guinness Pudding, which then led me over to Sprinklebakes (who is so brilliant!) and a fantastic explanation on how to make it happen. But… this is me, this is Epic Portions, and I wanted to make it my own. (Also: I’m from St Louis once-upon-a-time, and I don’t really enjoy that that company that owns Guinness is kind of taking over, and I wanted to support the home team.) So, I eliminated the Guinness, replaced it with Schlafly’s Oatmeal Stout, added a chocolate graham crust, and voila: Chocolate Stout Pie. Delicious!

First, make your crusts. Melt the butter, crumble your graham crackers, and combine them with the sugar and salt. Press firmly into your pie pans, and bake for 15 minutes in a 350F over.

Now, for your pudding: in a metal bowl, beat together the egg yolks and the sugar. Slowly pour the stout into a large glass, pouring down the side so that you don’t get foam. Foam = bad for baking. Now, take a heavy-bottomed saucepan and pour half of the stout into it. Add 3 cups of the heavy cream, and slowly heat until bubbles begin to form at the edges. Meanwhile, melt your chocolate in a double-boiler. Once the bubbles are forming over in cream-stout world, pour the hot liquid into the melted chocolate and beat until combined. Slowly pour that mixture into the egg mixture, beating constantly to prevent it from curdling. (No, spell check, I did not mean cuddling. Curdling.) Pour the entire mix back into your saucepan and cook over medium heat for about 20 min, until it thickens to coat the back of a spoon. Pour the cooked mixture into a blender and blend on high for about two minutes, then pour into your baked crusts. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cooled.

In the meantime, pour the other half of the stout into a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce to medium heat and simmer for a good long time until you have a syrup. Just don’t burn it – it’ll smell really bad and taste even worse. When you have a nice thick delicious stouty syrup, pour it into a small bowl and refrigerate until cool. Once your syrup is cool and your pudding is set, beat the remaining cup of heavy cream into soft peaks, then add the syrup and beat until combined. Divide between your pies, refrigerate for an hour or so to set everything, and serve.